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Article: Californians for Compassionate Choices: ''Suicide'' is Inaccurate, Biased Term to Describe Terminally-Ill Patients' End-of-Life Choices; Public Opinion & Medical Experts Urge Media to Adopt Neutral Terms.
- Article from:
- Business Wire
- Article date:
- September 28, 2005
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Public opinion research released today shows that use of the term "suicide" to describe the end-of-life choices of terminally-ill patients is inaccurate and biases audiences against patients and their families. "'Suicide,' or 'assisted-suicide,' or 'physician-assisted suicide' are loaded, pejorative terms that paint terminally-ill patients in the same negative light as terrorist bombers," Barbara Coombs-Lee, co-president of Compassion and Choices told a national news media teleconference. "'Suicide' is inaccurate because it indicates a self-destructive act that kills a person. Fatal diseases are killing terminally ill patients, and patients are ...